Hyderabad: Three people were killed and over ten others were injured in a horrific road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district early Wednesday morning, January 21. The tragedy occurred near Shirivellametta in Shirivella Mandal when a private bus traveling to Hyderabad collided head-on with a container lorry, causing both vehicles to burst into flames.
The accident took place around 2 am involving an ARBCVR Private Travels bus carrying 36 passengers from Nellore to Hyderabad. According to reports, one of the bus tyres burst, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle veered across the central divider and rammed into an oncoming container lorry. The impact triggered a massive fire that rapidly consumed both heavy vehicles. The deceased, identified as the bus driver, the lorry driver, and the lorry cleaner, were trapped in the wreckage and their bodies were charred beyond recognition.
A potential mass casualty event was averted due to the heroic intervention of a passing DCM truck driver. Upon witnessing the crash, he immediately halted his vehicle and smashed open the jammed doors of the burning bus. His quick thinking allowed most passengers to flee the inferno. Several passengers also jumped through the bus windows to escape, sustaining minor injuries during the chaos.
While the passengers survived, the fire destroyed all of their luggage. Alerted by locals, police teams rushed to the scene to oversee rescue operations. The injured passengers were subsequently transported to the Nandyal Government General Hospital for medical treatment.
(Inputs from IANS)